Windrock with my all mountain bike?

Just moved to knoxville a few weeks ago and have been riding haw ridge and concord. Heard about windrock but i dont have a downhill bike and am more of an all mountain rider. Is it worth going up there and trying it out? Am I gonna be hiking my bike half the time? Is it just one trail? Anyone around here rent downhill bikes?
Thanks
Pat

Lots of info over on pinkbike. There are a few people on that site that spend a lot of summer hours there. I have yet to make it up there. From what I have heard it is pretty tech, all self shuttle or push-up, but a lot is doable on a decent 6in bike.

Windrock is really burly. You can ride it on a shorter travel bike if you have the skills but to enjoy it to the fullest you need a DH bike. I've ridden there on a freeride bike with 7" travel and wished I had more. There are multiple DH trails and they have recently built a expert level XC/AM trail (I haven't ridden it yet) that is supposed to be killer. Without knowing your riding ability it is impossible to guess how you'll do out there but it could be a humbling experience. BTW- WR is shuttle ONLY, you will NOT be pushing up the hill. I know of one guy who pedalled it once to prove a point, he did not do it a second time and conceded that it was absolutely zero fun. Also, shuttles are not provided, it is a do it yourself deal. Don't show up expecting to be shuttled unless you have made arrangements. I'm not sure about rentals, there's definitely nothing close by. Oliver Springs is the closest town, I doubt you'll find anything there, maybe Oakridge, its just a bit further. Also, I don't know about Pinkbike, but all the guys who build and maintain the trails at WR all post on Ridemonkey in the South Forum. You can get better info there.

All that said, WR is my absolute favorite trail system so far that i've ridden... It is a blast and a must do if you are into the "gnar"

I dont really have any experience with downhill riding just all mountain type trails. Ive got a niner RIP9 which has 4.5 inches or travel. Im sure not enough for most of the trails but if they have any beginer or intermediate trails id love to get my feet wet. Seems a shame not to ride there when its less than a half hour away.

I dont really have any experience with downhill riding just all mountain type trails. Ive got a niner RIP9 which has 4.5 inches or travel. Im sure not enough for most of the trails but if they have any beginer or intermediate trails id love to get my feet wet. Seems a shame not to ride there when its less than a half hour away.

Man, I would kill to be less than a half hour away from WR all the time. Yeah, there's really nothing there in the way of beginner trails. That expert XC/AM trail I mentioned might be your best bet. I haven't ridden that one yet though... I would hesitate to ride a 4.5" bike on most of the other trails. WR has big rock and boulder gardens, gap jumps, ladder bridges, both man made and natural drops up to and over 8 ft. Its really not a place for beginners or beginner DH riders for that matter. The trail eats big bikes pretty frequently. I'm not trying to scare you away, the place is a blast. I'm just trying to give you a good picture of the terrain.

I wanted to wait to reply to this thread until I got back from Windrock last weekend. I’ve made it out to Windrock a few times and every time I am amazed at how brutal the trails are. You absolutely need to be on top of your game to get down the mountain in one piece. I would not recommend bringing anything less then a burly 7” freeride bike. If you have the skills you may be able to make a 6” AM/FR bike work but like I said you need skills. Snake Rock is supposed to be the easiest trail and that is still like doing a black or double black diamond run at a resort. I say hook up w/ a local and help do some trail work, you actually get a better idea of just how steep these trails are when you walk them (I got a flat half way down Snake Rock and it was not easy to walk down). Not trying to scare you away you may find that these trails are your cup of tea…Then again you might be like my buddy that came out there last year who took two runs and decided he never wanted to do downhill trails like those again.